Cowboys' Leary stands ready to start at guard

Dallas lineman spent 2012 on practice squad.

Injuries have opened the door for guard Ronald Leary (65) to receive a lot of playing time in the Cowboys' first preseason game.

Photo: Kin Man Hui / San Antonio Express-News

CANTON, Ohio — As far as defensive tackle Jason Hatcher is concerned, the Dallas Cowboys will be just fine with Ronald Leary starting at left guard.

Impressed by what he's seen from Leary at training camp in Oxnard, Calif., Hatcher lobbied for the second-year pro from Memphis to fill the void created when 2012 starter Nate Livings underwent knee surgery Friday.

“Oh, man, he's doing a good job,” Hatcher said of Leary, who missed the first week of camp with a calf injury. “He's way ahead of where he's supposed to be. He's ready to start.

“He's a good challenge for me in practice. He makes me work to get to the quarterback. I love going against him. He's come a long way.”

The Cowboys will find out just how far when they open the preseason Sunday against Miami in the NFL Hall of Fame Game. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Fawcett Stadium.

The offensive line has been depleted by injuries. Livings could be out for a month, placing him in doubt for the Sept. 8 season opener against the New York Giants, and right guard Mackenzy Bernadeau only returned to practice Friday after straining a hamstring in the conditioning run two weeks ago.

That leaves Leary and David Arkin as the only healthy true guards on the roster.

“If they tell me to play the whole game, I'm going to strap it up and play the whole game,” Leary said.

Signed by Dallas in 2012 as an undrafted free agent, Leary progressed steadily last season while on the practice squad. He also had a strong spring and offseason.

“He worked very hard mentally and physically,” coach Jason Garrett said. “His body started to look better and better as the year wore on. He really took advantage of the practices throughout the season, and he's understanding (the playbook) more and better and better, and that's showing up in his play.”

Carrying 331 pounds on a 6-foot-3 frame, Leary has the ability to blast defenders off the line of scrimmage.

“He's physical, and he has a nasty nature to him,” Garrett said. “For such a big man, he's explosive and quick with his feet.”

Said Hatcher: “He's got some thump in the run game. He's a guy who can knock people off the ball. That's what we needed along the offensive line: Guys that can create that push in the middle.

“With him and (left tackle) Tryon (Smith) on the same side, it should be great as far as knocking people off the ball and giving DeMarco (Murray) a lane to run.”

Leary was projected as a mid- to late-round pick before the 2012 draft, but a knee condition scared teams off. The Cowboys were so high on him, they guaranteed a large chunk of his rookie salary.

“There is a lot of competition across the board, so I know there is a lot of opportunity out there,” Leary said. “I'm just trying to take every day and get better, work on me. You can't worry about everything else. If I do my job, everything will take care of itself.”

Leary said he's learned a lot from an array of veterans on both sides of the ball, including Hatcher.

“We work together,” Hatcher said. “Young guys make mistakes, so after practice, I tell him what he needs to do.”

And now Hatcher is telling the coaches what they need to do: Start Leary.

Notebook: Quarterback Tony Romo doesn't expect to play against the Dolphins. “We have five games, so I think the coaches are going to be smart about the process.” ... Rookie wide receiver Terrance Williams could sit out the first two preseason games after reportedly suffering a concussion in Friday's practice.

After three years as a part-time employee covering mainly high school sports, Tom Orsborn became a full-time employee at the Express-News in October 1985. He's covered the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL since 1999 and has also covered the Spurs, the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and a variety of other events, including 14 Super Bowls.